The Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) says:

“Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
Loving us still,
God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.
Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,
like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home,
God is faithful still.”
(Lines 40, 47–51)

Presbyterians believe God has offered us salvation because of God’s loving nature. It is not a right or a privilege to be earned by being “good enough.” No one of us is good enough on our own—we are all dependent upon God’s goodness and mercy. From the kindest, most devoted churchgoer to the most blatant sinner, we are all saved solely by the grace of God.

What do Presbyterians believe about salvation?

Out of the greatest possible love and compassion God reached out to us and redeemed us through Jesus Christ, the only one who was ever without sin. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection God triumphed over sin.

Presbyterians believe it is through the action of God working in us that we become aware of our sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Just as a parent is quick to welcome a wayward child who has repented of rebellion, God is willing to forgive our sins if we but confess them and ask for forgiveness in the name of Christ.

God further sent the Holy Spirit to be our companion, counselor, and guide in living a life of service to God (http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-sin.htm).

We understand that it is God who takes the initiative in salvation, and therefore we may not be aware that God has been at work within us. When we are conscious of believing in Jesus Christ, we often recognize God’s preparation in our lives. Called “prevenient grace,” or grace that goes before our believing, God has offered the gift of salvation. It is up to us to recognize it and respond. We experience new birth or new life in Christ. For some this is a definite moment in time, while for others it is a gradual and ongoing direction to a life lived in faith.

Conversion, literally “turning around,” is our response to God’s act of salvation. It is both the large and small moments of time where we turn to God and try to live a life of faithful response. “Our conversion is our change of consciousness. It is our conscious orienting of our lives into the new direction of love and service to Jesus Christ” (Presbyterian Beliefs: A Brief Introduction, by Donald K. McKim, p. 81). Repentance and faith are the two parts of the act of conversion. Repentance indicates sorrow for our sin and thereby a change in action. Faith is the expression of our conversion. It acknowledges both Christ’s salvation and our conversion and marks the way we live our lives.

God has offered the gift of salvation.
It is up to us to recognize it
and respond. . . . it is a gradual and ongoing direction to a life lived in faith.

The spring quarter of Bible Quest reflects this theme of salvation and conversion in its Bookmark stories. Through the Easter narratives we learn about God’s act of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story of Thomas’ doubt and subsequent declaration of faith is studied by each age group. Christ initiates the encounter with Thomas, coming to him at his place of doubt and offering him what he needs. This moment of conversion is built upon many moments of prior experience, of God laying the foundation for this man of faith to declare, “My Lord and my God!”

Probably the most dramatic conversion story is that of Saul. The final third of the spring quarter is spent on Saul’s conversion, repentance, and ensuing life of faith as he traveled and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are arrested and put in prison. When an earthquake releases them from their chains and the jailer is ready to kill himself for their escape, Paul and Silas reassure the jailer of their presence. They give evidence and testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It is apparent that God is the initiator of salvation and that Paul and Silas are instruments of God’s grace. The jailer and his household receive the good news and respond with conversion, repentance, and faith.

For more information and teacher support go to www.pcusa.org/curriculum. To order Bible Quest for your church school, call Presbyterian Distribution Service at (800) 524-2612 or go to www.pcusa.org/marketplace.

For more information on Bible Quest, click here to go the Web site.